Our first few weeks in South Asia have been a little bit of a blur! First, we were walking around in the fog of jet lag. Then, when we arrived in our new city, we hit the ground running looking for a flat. And then it was time to shop for the new flat... furniture, appliances, cookware, dishes, towels, bedding ... everything! (This process is definitely still ongoing!) Next it was time to move into our flat and begin waiting for delivery men... followed by installation men... followed by repair men! (That process is still going too!)
Meanwhile, M has been creatively entertaining himself...
I said all that to say this: It would be so easy for the sweet, funny, and sometimes downright WILD memories of this season of life to be forgotten in the blur! So for this post, I decided to share a few of the past couple of weeks' most memorable moments.
--- During our first weekend here, we visited a gathering of friends in someone's home. While they sang songs in their language, little M chimed in and belted out "Hosanna" at the top of his lungs.
--- M loves chiming in when we are telling the drivers where we would like to go. "No right," he'll tell them (especially when it's left.) "Straight, straight!"
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| {Rickshaw riding} |
--- Here, for every appliance you purchase, whether it's large like a washer or small like a microwave, they send someone out to install and "demo" it. The washer demo was helpful, but we could not help but smile at the man who came to demonstrate how to microwave a cup of water... and insisted that I touch the water inside to feel that it was indeed hot. :)
--- Our anniversary was a wild day from start to finish. While I headed out to shop for basic household items, K was home dealing with a constant flow of installation, repair & delivery people... almost none of whom spoke a bit of English! Plus that, the drilling woke up little M shortly after I left, so K had a two year old to chase on top of everything! They were drilling big holes, making a huge mess, taking down light fixtures, and poor K had no way to communicate with them to make sure that they were all on the same page... he had a stressful day to say the least!
Meanwhile, I was having a wild time of my own. My shopping went fine, but as I emerged from the mall with my pile of purchases, a rickshaw driver came, asked where I was headed, and began putting my packages in the car. He was charging me too much, but they always do when you are leaving the mall and they know you don't have any choice. But just as we were getting ready to go, another driver came and squeezed on to the driver's seat with him... trying to push the first driver off his seat! They were yelling at each other, and one took off his shoe to hit the other with it! I jumped out of the rickshaw and waited for the crowd of drivers who had surrounded them to sort it all out. The consensus was for me to ride with the first driver, and so I did... even though the second man was still clearly not pleased!
But our crazy day did end well. A kind friend brought us a home-cooked Mexican meal, without even knowing it was our anniversary! Then the washer installation man showed up, which meant we could finally start work on our small mountain of laundry. At the end of the day, we we were tired... and still a little frustrated... but mostly just thankful to be on this adventure together.
Simply living life takes longer here. I had heard people say that many times before I came, but I didn't really get it until now. We are learning the value of patience, with others and with ourselves. We are learning to take things one day at a time, and to count a day as a success, even if we only accomplish one small goal.
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Below are a few recent pictures I wanted to share:
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| {I intended this rolling shelf as a fruit and veggie basket, but M thought otherwise! I have since taken it back over.} |
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| {This simple stool to help M reach his bathroom sink sure did make him smile!} |
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| {I still can't believe that you can find a mall as nice and as modern as this...} |
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| {... while still seeing sights like this just outside!} |
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| {What a treat it was for M to ride the mall train with Daddy!} |
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{In South Asia, you don't have closets, so you buy wardrobes. Here is M's, filled with his favorite things.}
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